Today is the Chinese Moon Festival, one of my favorite days of the year. The Moon Festival -- or Mid-Autumn Festival, as some call it -- celebrates the autumn harvest and is typically observed when the moon is the fullest.
I'm Chinese on my mother's side, and I always look forward to the traditions surrounding this holiday. Mostly, I love savoring tiny slivers of mooncake -- a dense pastry filled with a sweet filling (I prefer red bean or lotus paste) and a salted dried egg yolk. The dark filling represents the night sky, and the egg yolk represents the moon. The salty-sweet flavor of mooncake is definitely an acquired taste, and one that I've come to love.
When I was a little girl, I loved to stare at the moon. My Chinese grandmother ("Popo" in Cantonese) enjoys telling one story in particular. As she tells it, she was babysitting me one night when the moon was especially bright and full. Apparently, I kept asking to be taken outside so I could look at the moon. The first three times I asked, my grandmother humored me and took me outside. But when I asked a fourth time, she tried to dissuade me, saying "Jamie, the moon is sleeping." I looked my grandmother in the eye and insisted, "Popo, the moon don't sleep!" At four years old, I hadn't yet grasped subject-verb agreement, but I knew when my grandmother was pulling my leg. It was the one and only time I've ever contradicted my grandmother. In a Chinese family, this disrespect would usually be a serious offense. But my grandmother was so amused by my infatuation with the moon that she didn't reprimand me.
I won't be able to celebrate the Moon Festival with my family this year, as there is some 3,000 miles between us. But my husband and I shared the celebration with his family last weekend, introducing them to many of the traditions observed by my family. We made a number of my family's favorite dishes, including char siu chow fun and wonton soup. For dessert, we served slices of mooncake with a jasmine lychee sorbet. The sorbet was my own concoction and I was pleased with the result. With its mildly-sweet, refreshing flavor, this jasmine lychee sorbet complemented the mooncake well. It's a new tradition that we'll certainly repeat through the years.
To make this sorbet, you'll need a can of lychee. I've never seen lychee in my regular grocery store, but it can be found in the canned food aisle at any Asian market. Also, you'll want to start this recipe far in advance of when you plan to serve it, as there are several stages where you'll need to allow the sorbet to cool/freeze.
Jasmine Lychee Sorbet
20 ounce can of lychee in syrup
20 ounces coconut milk
6 Tbsp. sugar, or more to taste
8-10 jasmine tea bags, tied together
Agave nectar, for serving
1. In a food processor or blender, puree lychee and syrup.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring lychee puree, coconut milk, and sugar to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add jasmine tea bags to the pan. Allow tea bags to steep for 6-8 minutes (you may need to adjust this according to the brand of tea you are using. You should be able to taste the jasmine tea, but the mixture should not taste bitter).
3. Discard tea bags. Place a sieve over a medium bowl. Strain mixture through sieve to remove lychee seeds.
4. Refrigerate mixture for at least four hours, until completely chilled.
5. Pour mixture into ice cream maker and churn for approximately 35 minutes, or according to manufacturer directions. Scoop sorbet into a freezer-safe container, and freeze until firm (approximately 2-4 hours). Sorbet may need to thaw slightly before serving. If desired, drizzle with agave nectar to serve.
If you have a chance, look for the moon tonight, will you? I'm sure it will be a sight to behold.
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